What the dog is Jerry Underfoot doing when he headbutts huMom? I asked Dot what that was all about & she gave a purrfectly good explanation.  CEO Olivia here to share what is your furbulous feline doing when it head bops you which is more pawperly called, a head bunt.

It’s impawtant to yap that your feline’s headbutting is not the same as head pressing.  With head pressing, a cat will obsessively push their cat head into a wall or corner.  This is a neurologic condition & this feline is not calm.  There may be other symptoms such as pacing, vision changes, or self-injury caused by excessively pressing the head. Your furbulous feline should be immediately examined by a veterinarian.

Dot told me that cats have glands on their cheeks, forehead, & chin that contain pheromones (a substance pawduced as a type of scent communication) which you humans can not dogtect. When your furtastic cat headbutts you, they are rubbing pheromones on you & catsider  you marked. Other felines will nose that a cat has been there.

Appawrently, there are a variety of head bops & vary dogpending on the cat.  Some cats with go skull to skull with a good clunk while others may have a softer method.  Either way, nose you will be marked.  Jerry Underfoot’s technique is with full force & plenty of drooling.  Dot will admit that she wasn’t fully into it until after taking Jerry Underfoots mini HeadButt course.  Now, she throws herself right into it when given the opportunity.  

Cats also will mark furniture, furmiliar objects, plants or trees if they go outside.  They may blop over playfully, purr with kitty sweet eyes, or other pawsitively calm relaxed behaviors before or after a head bop. Again, this is about marking & claiming a territory as furmiliar & in a pawsitive way. Your furbulous feline are personalizing their surroundings & creating a safe space.  Dot reminded me that this is not a  terrortorial challenge to other cats; she purrred  softly that they would do that by urine marking or spraying.

Interestingly, when cats within a colony head bop each other, they are mixing their scents/stinks to create a single scent that is then dogstributed to all of the cats in the colony as the colony scent/stink. That is pawtastic! 

When your cat head bops you & marks you or other humans in your home, it means you’ve been accepted into their pack.  This purrfect scent marking is your feline bonding with you & though you cannot dogtect it, the fact that you smell like your cat is very reassuring to them.

When Dot, Jerry Underfoot or other cats rub their face on something like the  chair or edge of the wall, they are usually purring, happy, & purrfectly relaxed, they need no one’s help; they’re pawsitively lovinging headbutting, rubbing their fur face on things & the scent of their own pheromones. They may be self-soothing or regulating their own emotional state. Us dogs like to bite or chew to self-sooth or to regulate our emotions. You nose those cat dances or when felines knead with their paws aka ‘making biscuits’ (hmm biscuits, yum) are also ways cats self-sooth.

You’re probably asking, ‘Is headbutting a show of affection?’  It can be & when it is, please nose that this is the highest cat compliment given.  You can & should feel pawsitively special. With that said, let’s be pawfectly clear, just because a pawsome kitty has head bopped you doesn’t mean you should head bop them back.  Pawfer your hand first, move slowly & pawhaps they will allow you to head bop back.  This approach increases your success & creates a meowsome bond with our furbulous feline furiends.

 

Have a pawsome week, CEO Olivia, Dot & Jerry Underfoot 💜

 

 

PS 🐾 Looking for wagnifient healthy & furbulously fun toys or pawsibly a supplement for the well being of your pawtacular good dog or cat? Shop Naturally

  Join my pack at knottytoysforgooddogs.com